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"alrighty!" san clasps his hands together, the sound echoing off the walls. he's holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. "woo and I are in charge of balloons...yun and mingi, you guys will be in charge of decorations...jong and sang, you two will be in charge of helping with the gift bags for guests. anyone wanna add anything else?"
a timid hand raises in the air. san nods "yes, woo?"
"what will seonghwa be doing?"
the hyung smiles as he shakes his head lightly "hyung will be doing pretty much everything else...getting the cake, entertainment, invitations all that fun stuff."
"how are we going to decorate and get everything ready if joong will be around?" jongho asks.
"hyung said he'll drop joong off at his parents for a few days. his birthday falls on a saturday so it kind of works out pretty well." san scribbles little notes on the paper before seeing someone else raise their hand.
san once again smiles "okay, dude, you can stop that, we're not at school."
mingi returns the smile. "so...we're having a birthday party for hongjoong right...how old is he really turning?"
"oh, he'll be-"
"joongie, love, wait for mama!"
everyone sits up straight at the incoming voice of seonghwa and said kitten. the clipboard gets hidden on seonghwa's desk, away from joong's curious eyes.
"mama, 'yungie insi'e!"
the front door is practically slammed open- in enters an overly excited kitten squealing when he sees all of his hyungs sitting in the living room.
before he runs up to them, he remembers to take his shoes off before entering the house. following right behind him is an exhausted seonghwa, out of breath as he leans against the doorframe.
"hyung, are you good?" yunho asks, watching as the overly energetic kitten runs to each hyung and hugs them. he plops himself on mingi's lap and tries his best to explain where they went.
"i-I'm...good..." he enters the house and closes the front door, taking off his jacket. he doesn't even remember seeing joong do the same, but sighs out of relief when he sees his friends trying to calm him down a little. "he just really tired me out today is all...I'm just gonna go...lie down for a sec, I'm exhausted."
hongjoong was in the middle of explaining that him and mama went to the park where they saw his friend, jones, from school and the two hybrids were going crazy and burning off all their energy.
after their impromptu play date, he took him on a little walk around the park to soothe his energy, but to no avail- he wanted to keep running around and play.
as much as he loves staying with his mama, he was filled with a sudden burst of energy enough to have his cheeks grow red in the early november frost. he almost threw a tantrum when hwa told him it was time to go home but quickly agreed when he was told his hyungs were at home waiting for him.
since the kitten came into his life, this is the first time he's felt exhausted from his energy. "If he still wants to run around, bring him in the backyard." he mumbles his words as he drags his feet up the stairs into his bedroom.
"where mama go?"
"I think mama's feeling a little tired, bubs." yunho says "but we can still go outside and play if you want?"
the kitten nods his head energetically, hopping off mingi's lap and running to grab his shoes. everyone else decides to stay inside, due to the fact that joong was begging his yunnie and minnie hyung to join him outside.
"yun, it's like really cold out..."
"you wouldn't be saying that if you brought a heavier jacket!" yunho gently scolds. "let's just let him tire himself out and then we can come back inside for lunch, okay?"
a few tiny taps on the glass sliding door makes everyone turn their head at the sudden noise. it's hongjoong, who's somewhat impatiently tapping on the door waiting for his hyungs to meet him outside.
mingi groans as he slips his jacket on, watching as the younger waits for him to join as well. while it's way too cold to be playing with the hose, the rain they've previously gotten let's hongjoong have the opportunity to play in the mud.
but they learned their lesson as the last time he did so, he ended up getting mud on his cat ears and tail- which are all white. the bath he recieved took seonghwa a little more longer than expected.
but nonetheless, hongjoong is always encouraged to explore and expand any interests- even if it means he has to get dirty in the process.
--------
"okay, I'm sending him with his invitations. please make sure you tell his teacher so she can hand them out..." seonghwa zips up the backpack and helps the younger slip it on.
hongjoong stands silently near the elder, head hanging low. he's not in the best of moods when it was accidentally slipped out that hwa was going to be home today, but joong still had to go to school.
he feels a pang in his chest at the sound of car keys, but they aren't mama's keys- it's his hyungs who patiently wait for joong to walk with them out the door. but a small sniffle stops them all in their tracks.
"oh, my sweet baby," seonghwa takes his jacket off and goes to hug the younger in his arms. he softly rubs at his back in circular motions. "my sweet baby love, what is the matter?"
"wan' s'yay wi' mommy..." his voice sounds wet as he not so subtly wipes his tears on his shirt. he doesn't feel too happy that he knows mama will be home and he won't be here with him. he just wants to spend every moment together.
"joongie, my dear baby, mommy has a lot of stuff to do today, but I promise as soon as I'm finished I'm going to pick you up from school, okay?" seonghwa reassures by placing a kiss on his cheek. "I love you so much, forever and always...now your jongie and sangie hyung are taking you to school but just for this one time. and after that, mommy will be taking you, alright?"
seonghwa nuzzles his cheek on top of his head for comfort, swaying each other softly from side to side. he's not a fan of a handful of things, but seeing his baby upset and cry tops the list.
the kitten doesn't answer, just buries his head in seonghwa's neck before reluctantly pulling away. seonghwa wipes at the stray tears falling and places one more kiss on his cheek. "you're my forever baby, and I will always be here for you. go have fun at school today, I can't wait for you to tell me allll about it."
with watery eyes, hongjoong places a kiss onto his mama's cheek as he hesitantly nods. it hurts to watch his baby walk away not feeling better from their conversation, but he knows he's in good and safe hands. hongjoong stays near his sangie hyung as the trio make their way out the door.
seonghwa doesn't hesitate and grabs his keys to get any supplies he'll need; he's determined for hongjoong to have the greatest birthday party ever.
-
hongjoong stands behind yeosang as jongho instructs his teacher about the birthday invitations in his backpack. deep down he's somewhat happy that his hyungs get to see what his school looks like, but on the other hand, it's always been seonghwa who drops him off and he's not used to the subtle little change.
"joongie, look, some of your friends are playing with the blocks, I know you love playing blocks!" yeosang tried to encourage but recieves small whines instead.
he doesn't want to push him by any means, but unfortunately they can't stay forever. jongho joins the duo and whispers something in the younger's ear (he hears something about his mama being mentioned) only to recieve a small sob.
he turns around in yeosang's arms and begins to let his tears fall. it hurt yeosang's heart as he held onto the baby tightly and slowly rocked him in his arms for safety.
"I...wan'...my mommy..." he barely manages out, his breaths coming in small hiccups. yeosang brings them to a small corner of the classroom to give him some breathing space and privacy.
"I know, my dear, I know it's not fun being here when mommy is home" yeosang coos in his ear, continuing to rock him in his arms. "but mommy said he was going to pick you up as soon as he's finished, okay?"
"s-sangie an'...an' jongie s'yay wi' me...p'ease?"
"oh, baby, you're hurting sangie's heart." he presses kisses into his hair. "you know jongie and sangie can't stay...I would definitely love to if I could, but we have to go as well."
hongjoong shook his head clinging desperately hard onto his jacket. yeosang watches as jongho strikes a conversation with one of his classmates, one of them smiling brightly at them.
his teacher approaches with her arms open for the younger. it's as if seonghwa is right in front of them with the way she's already carrying his extra pacifier in her hand; watching as hongjoong hesitantly leaves his hyung's arms and plops himself into hers.
"I wan' my mommy...p'ease." he mumbles through the pacifier clutching onto his blanket with full force. she does her best to calm him down and soothe him, and in mere minutes his sobbing simmered into sniffles.
the pair stand up and head near the classroom door. "your hyungs are leaving now, dear. let's say see you later to them!"
the kitten rubs at his eye as he waves to his hyungs from inside the classroom. it definitely left them feeling a little better knowing that the younger was somewhat in better spirits when his teacher soothed him, but it still hurt a little that they left with him wiping his tears into his blanket.
-
[ 4 days until hongjoong's birthday ]
"mama?"
"yes, baby?" seonghwa asks "what's on your mind, buggie?"
"d-don'...d-don' wan' go g'an'ma an' g'an'pa..."
the elder pauses folding the laundry "why not, my love? it's always fun going to grandma and grandpa's house."
hongjoong lowers his head as he kicks his feet. he holds his hwahwa close to his chest as he rests his cheek on the fur. seonghwa tries not to coo at the slight pudge from his cheek.
"don't wan' y'eave you, mommy."
the elder places the laundry basket onto the floor and sits next to the younger onto the couch. he takes his hand in his, rubbing his thumb soothingly. "oh my sweet babylove, you know that whenever you're with your hyungs and your grandparents, you always come back home with me."
the kitten looks to the side, cheeks growing a shade of red. seonghwa cups his cheeks to lift his head, seeing tears form in his eyes. "baby, tell mommy what else is on your mind?"
hongjoong's lower lip wobbles as his face slowly crumbles, he crashes himself into seonghwa's arms. his mama holds him close as he moves him onto his lap. "mommy is here to help you when you're ready, baby. just take your time, okay?"
the kitten focuses on taking breaths like how he's always instructed to when he's feeling upset or overwhelmed. "s'eep ne' to mommy at nigh'...mommy, you won' be there..."
"oh my sweet baby bear, come here, my love." the kitten mewls as he clings onto the warmth of his mama. seonghwa takes a moment to stay in silence and let hongjoong focus on his breathing. he walks around the room as he pats his bottom for the added comfort.
hongjoong still tends to have trouble explaining how he feels, but it's something seonghwa still works on with him everyday. but him simply mentioning that seonghwa won't be there when he's going to bed at night is a start.
this will be the second time that hongjoong will be sleeping over at someone else's house (minus his sleepover with his hyungs a while back), and that was tricky alone due to the younger waking up in the middle of the night crying because he missed seonghwa.
he doesn't like seeing his baby upset, especially now when his special day is arriving so soon. "I promise it's only for a few days, okay, my angel? you'll be back with me before you know it."
joong just shrugs as he leans against his chest with hwahwa in his lap. seonghwa sits with him for a little longer before encouraging him to help him pack what clothes and toys he wants to bring.
with a slight pout, the kitten agrees and helps him pack his little suitcase, also including some stuff for hwahwa as well. during the whole duration of packing, seonghwa tried his best to engage in a conversation about all the fun and cool stuff he'll do when he's away, which somewhat worked.
sometimes his grandparents will let him watch some t.v before bed, which seonghwa doesn't normally do; but he'll allow him to from time to time.
gradually hongjoong's mood became a little better as he began to openly talk more about what him and hwahwa will do and all the yummy food they'll eat.
going to bed that night made seonghwa feel a little better, as well as hongjoong.
--------
[ 2 days until hongjoong's birthday ]
"okay... I have entertainment coming around 2, the catering will come around 1, yeosang and jongho made the goody bags...yunho and min are working on decorations, and woo...young-"
seonghwa pauses as walks onto the backyard patio, sighing gently as he places his clipboard down. san and wooyoung were supposed to be in charge of balloons, which realistically shouldn't have been a problem.
but now as he walks outside to check on them, he feels a pang in his gut. cut to the two of them goofing around with the balloons, trying to see who can blow the biggest balloon with the helium tank before it pops.
"guys, I really need-"
a loud pop! from the overly blown balloon shocks them all, seonghwa shrieking and almost tripping on his own two feet.
"sorry, hyung!" san shouts, as wooyoung clears his throat and goes back to blowing the balloons.
"why didn't you just order balloons like the last party you had for him? remember when you celebrated one year with him?" wooyoung asks, a subtle whine to his question.
seonghwa scoffs "and pay a ridiculous amount of money for a whole set when I can just buy a tank and just buy balloons myself?"
wooyoung just rolls his eyes and continued to help san blow the balloons up. seonghwa continues to walk around the house and to make sure everything is going accordingly.
"hyyunnggg! yunho ripped one of the decorations!"
"no I did not!"
"then how come there's a tear here!?"
seonghwa groans as he hurriedly makes his way into the living room to investigate the situation.
--------
[ 1 day until hongjoong's birthday ]
"mama...wan' go home, p'ease?"
seonghwa leans down to kiss at his cheek. "I'm sorry, baby, we can't go home just yet. we'll have to wait until tomorrow, okay?"
"bu' whyyyyyy?"
seonghwa sighs. hongjoong has been in his asking "why" phase lately and will ask it for almost everything. why the sky is blue, why are his eyes brown, why are his shoes white...you name it.
"ooh look! grandpa just came home!" seonghwa gasps as he points to the window; also grateful his distraction worked, for now at least.
while the younger was staying at his parents house, seonghwa decided to stop by before the big day tomorrow; the rest of his friends finishing some last minute details (all seonghwa approved).
"mama, g'an'ma...g'an'pa home!"
hongjoong rushes to the window, smushing his nose against the glass. however he sees his dad pulling out his phone and not even a second later, his phone dings.
dad:
I have his birthday cake with me
distract him so I can put it away!
his mother and him share a look and before joong can even run to put his shoes on, seonghwa runs up to him and scoops him up in his arms.
he's met with loud squeals as the elder peppers his face with kisses and attacks him by tickling him lightly. hongjoong's face grows slightly red from giggling and laughing, swatting at seonghwa's hands.
"m-mama! mama it ti'yle!"
seonghwa continues to tickle him under his arms and around his neck, "but mama loves hearing your laugh, joongie! my oh so sweet little baby bear!"
his white tail is beginning to spike as he squeals from the tickling attack, but seonghwa lessens the tickling with the way he can hear a small whine in the back of his throat.
however hongjoong stands up from the couch almost losing his balance, "mama! can' ge' me!" as he bolts out of the living room and (carefully) around the house. his loud laughter makes it easy to find him as seonghwa pretends he doesn't know where he went.
he walks slowly around the house "hmm...now where has my little joongie gone? I wonder where he can be!"
he can hear the faint sound of hidden giggles most likely coming from the spare bedroom he's been staying in. but minus the fact that he can hear his giggles, his cat tail is so obviously sticking out by the door.
seonghwa slowly walks in, tapping his chin, "hmm...looks like joongie isn't in this room! where could he have gone?!"
and just as he rounds the corner, hongjoong squeals but covers his mouth as he peaks through the little slit between the door, completely unaware that seonghwa is behind him.
suddenly he feels two hands grabs at his waist and his face being peppered in many many kisses. "I found you, baby!"
hongjoong's loud squealing gets smothered by seonghwa once again attacking him with kisses, hugging him close to his chest. "mama foun' me!"
he swings him around in his arms before he gives them both a minute to catch their breathes. seonghwa loves the little moments he spends with his baby, including moments such as this one.
as he sways him in his arms, hongjoong begins to purr as he nuzzles into seonghwa's neck. "is this the room that my joongie sleeps in?"
"uh huh! hwahwa s'eeping, mama...shhh!" he points to the cat plushie that's tucked in the covers and walks over quietly to fix the comforter and place a little kiss on it's forehead.
seonghwa smiles. "this used to be my room when I was growing up..."
his parents kept some belongings that he didn't bring with him in his new place (at the time), and kept it as little knick knacks. the room still has the same layout, just different colored walls and bedding. what was he thinking of having turquoise blue walls when he was growing up? it's a softer blue now, much easier on the eyes.
it kind of makes him feel soft that hongjoong is using his old bedroom/now guest room as his room, it feels nostalgic to be back here and now being here with his baby after all those years passed.
"mommy is going to go back soon, and I promise I will be here so early in the morning to get my baby ready for his special day tomorrow!"
"my bir'yay!"
"yes, my love, it's going to be your birthday! it's your special day and I can't wait for you to enjoy it!"
but his smile somewhat began to fade a little "mommy y'eave?"
he tucks hongjoong's hair behind his ear "just for the day and then I'm coming back tomorrow morning, okay? I promise, I will be here."
the younger lifts his arms up and tries his best to not cry. he's having so much fun with his mama that he doesn't want him to go. seonghwa rocks him in his arms for a while making their way into the living room to greet his grandparents.
"there's the little one!"
"joongs!"
seonghwa kisses his forehead "he's feeling a little mushy because I'm leaving soon...I told him I'm going to be here very early tomorrow morning...so, just a heads up for you two!"
"don' wan' mama go." hongjoong's voice sounds wet as he's trying once more to fight the tears, but the minute seonghwa puts him down, he waddles after him and clings to his side.
his eyes become hazy when he sees seonghwa reaching to slip his shoes on. "mm-mm...no go, p'ease? go wi' mommy?"
"oh my little starshine, come here, love." he guides with his hand for him to sit on his lap. he quietly makes his way over, holding onto his hand. "how has he been when it comes to bedtime?"
his mother sighs softly "the first night was a little rough, it took quite the process to calm him down. last night was alright, but definitely an improvement from before. we would have called you but it was really late in the night."
"you have to make sure you get a good amount of sleep baby, you're going to have such a busy day tomorrow!"
hongjoong shoots up from his lap, wiping any stray tears away "my bir'yay, mama! my bir'yay!"
"yes, it's all tomorrow, as soon as mama comes and picks you up, okay?" seonghwa places another kiss to his temple as he wraps his arms around him for a hug. "I love you so much my baby, you be a good boy for grandma and grandpa."
he manages to sneak out the front door, watching as hongjoong runs into the bedroom to check on hwahwa with his grandmother. his father walks out with him as the pair sneak outside.
"did the cake come out good?"
"yes, exactly as how you ordered it!"
"and his outfit is still in the bag?"
"yes, seonghwa, it's all sealed and ready for tomorrow, your mother will double check if it needs any touching up with ironing tonight."
seonghwa let's out a breath of relief "thank you guys, seriously. if he has trouble going to sleep, just call me, I'll most likely be up if anything."
his father smiles at him before patting his back "you're a good parent..."
"I simply learned from the best! I'll see you tomorrow!"
"see you then!"
--------
[ the day of hongjoong's birthday ]
seonghwa quietly tries to open the front door without his keys jingling loudly, slipping off his shoes in the process. it's way too early for anyone to be up, but seonghwa is a man of his word and sure enough once the clock hit 5:30 A.M, he left his house to go to his parent's house.
it took a while to drive here and by 6:27 (he checked the exact time on his phone), he managed to make it with not much traffic. the house was so quiet you can hear a pin drop, so he skillfully placed his keys on the counter and made his way into the bedroom hongjoong was sleeping in.
it was quite sweet to see hongjoong sleeping in his own childhood room, it brought back the time where he tried to introduce hongjoong to his own bedroom, which didn't turn out too well. there's always time to try again as he now keeps it as a guest room.
he walks closer and he can see his pacifier in his mouth as his fists are curled and raised over his head. he really doesn't want to disturb him, but he did promise joong he'd be here really early.
softly he tucked his hair out of his face and leaned down to press the most softest kiss to his forehead. "hey, baby~" he whispered barely audible he didn't even hear himself say it.
however a certain someone caught it, cat ears twitching at the sound. it made seonghwa coo at the way the younger woke up- the way his eyes were adjusting to the sunlight slowly blinking. he stared at seonghwa for a moment, rubbing at his eyes with little fists. but then he gasped at who he recognized and whispered under his pacifier "mama...mama!"
the kitten wiggled out of the comforter and crawled his way into the elder's arms. "happy birthday, my babylove!"
hongjoong began to purr as seonghwa held him securely as he began to walk out into the living room. the sun seems to be shining extra bright this morning however it will be another chilly day as frost is already collected in the corner of the windows and doors.
"my sweet baby, today is your special day and it's all about you!" seonghwa nuzzles into his hair and leans his cheek on top of his head. "I love you so much, baby."
"y'ove my mommy!"
the kitten yawns as he leans heavily onto seonghwa. he continues to rock him in his arms. little did he know that joong ended up falling asleep in his arm's. it's still a little too early so he decides to bring him back in the bedroom and place him back under the covers.
even in his sleep, he still grips onto seonghwa as if he'll leave. the elder slips under the covers too, not even a second to spare hongjoong rolls over onto his chest and holds tightly onto his mama.
"get some more rest, my star, you have a very special and busy day ahead of you."
-
"okay, are you ready to go inside?"
hongjoong nods his head "an' hwahwa, too!"
"of course we can't forget about hwahwa!" seonghwa smiles, unbuckling his seatbelt and helps him out of the car "let's go, bubbie."
there's a skip to seonghwa's step, but he tries to contain his excitement but it's a little difficult as he squeals for joong to hurry up.
seeing seonghwa all giddy makes hongjoong waddle up to the door and helps him turn his keys to unlock the door. "come on, baby!"
hongjoong clutches hwahwa tightly as he joins the elder inside but gasps. "mama, yigh' off!"
seonghwa smiles and nods at his friends who are hiding in the kitchen or behind the couch. not even a moment later, the quiet living gets filled with loud shouts and screams and confetti, which at first takes hongjoong off guard and stumbles into seonghwa's arms.
"happy birthday, hongjoong!"
the initial shock settles as he sees who's suddenly occupying their living room- his hyungs, his grandparents, his friends from school, and even a few of seonghwa's close coworkers (that joong definitely recognizes their faces). he hands hwahwa over to the elder and squeals in delight at who he sees! he runs to the people who are near the door (his grandparents), and greets everyone down the line.
when it comes to his hyungs, they pick him up and spin him while peppering his face with kisses. once he's placed down, he runs to his friends and babbles to them about...well seonghwa's not really sure, but they seem to be all in a deep conversation.
seonghwa thanks everyone once again for joining them and slowly let's everyone disperse into their activities beforehand. he engages in conversation with everyone and for the most part, plops himself on the couch to take a breather.
"look how much fun he's having!"
yeosang points over to the patio with the screen door open and watches as hongjoong and his friends laugh and babble away as they sit at the patio table with the various paint supplies that seonghwa displayed out, of course smocks are included (he doesn't want anyone to get their clothes stained with paint).
luckily the weather is in their favor as it's a pretty warm day for the beginning of november. seonghwa smiles as he watches hongjoong go around the table and help his friends if they need any assistance.
suddenly mingi and san come running over to his side "we wanna join painting, too! can we!?"
seonghwa smiles "there's definitely enough room, just ask joongs. it looks like he's in teacher mode with the way he's helping everyone."
"how was he at your parents house for a few days?" wooyoung joins the pair on the couch. seonghwa smiles as he sees him holding a little juice box.
"it was a little challenging on the first night" seonghwa answers truthfully "remember when he had that sleepover at min's place a while back? it was kind of like that. my mom said that he was having fun during the day but then when bedtime came, it hit him all at once that I wasn't there."
"mama's boy at best!" yeosang chimes in.
"look at how happy he looks to help his friends and even his hyungs, you taught him so well." wooyoung coos as the trio watch in awe the way hongjoong makes sure everyone is wearing a smock before starting.
"how cute is this little party you set up?!" the trio look over to see one of seonghwa's coworkers join them, she politely asks to sit to which they all make room for her.
seonghwa introduces her to his friends, right off the bat she gets along the most with yeosang and wooyoung. they seem so absorbed in their conversation that they don't notice seonghwa walking to check on everyone else.
"hyung! your father is so cool! did you know he used to all kinds of adventurous stuff before you were born!?" jongho comes running up to him with stars practically in his eyes. "I gotta go ask him if he's ever went skydiving!"
seonghwa laughs at the fact that he didn't even get to answer jongho's burning question, too excited to wait for an answer.
he makes his way around to check on everyone before arriving at the patio to check on the one's painting. he sees hongjoong now sitting but checking on everyone else still.
seonghwa grabs a chair and brings it next to the younger. "hey, baby! how are we doing so far?"
"mama!" hongjoong exclaims "I pain' wi' my f'yien' an' 'yungies!"
"we're going to be eating soon, okay? If you're not finished, we can come back after we eat." seonghwa informs, a gentle 5 minute warning given. he kisses his forehead before watching him share his paints with his friend, jones. maybe one day they can set up a play date with his family?
"seonghwa, why don't you take a seat for a minute?" his mother comes around the corner. "I've been watching you run around and check on everyone, now I'm checking on you. come, sit, everyone is good and having fun-"
"-hyung! come look at this painting I just made! I gotta show woo!" san's voice echoes from outside. seonghwa kisses his mother on the cheek before checking with hongjoong and his apparent mini art lesson.
-
"mama! my ca'e! my ca'e!"
hongjoong is sitting in the middle and his 2 tier cake sits right in front of him. he's staring at the cake with a not so subtle drool. ssonghwa uses his sleeve to wipe at the corner of his mouth, waking hongjoong from his mini daydream.
with the messy activities they held, he's surprised that the younger didn't get his outfit dirty. not one speck of paint on his little bowtie he insisted on wearing today.
just when everyone gathered, only then does hongjoong grow misty eyed because suddenly seonghwa disappeared. everyone explains that he's just getting the cake ready but coo at how he's trying to find the one person he's looking for.
"I'm here, I'm here!" seonghwa shouts as he runs from the kitchen to outside where everyone is gathered. he kisses the kitten's temple before quietly asking if he's okay. when he recieves a small nod, he carefully lights up the candles on the cake.
just as everyone begins to sing, seonghwa holds his baby close to him, kissing his cheek. the younger coos at the affection and purrs. he definitely feels all the love from everyone in the room, especially in the moment when seonghwa holds him close that he doesn't realize he's shedding a few tears.
"oh baby, are you feeling alright?"
"I...so h'yaply mama!" he wipes at his tears and turns in his chair to give the biggest hug to the elder. he doesn't hear everyone cooing as his mama whispers sweet nothings in his ear.
"go ahead, baby. make a wish and then you blow out the candles!"
just as hongjoong does so, suddenly his wooyoung hyung comes around and takes a small piece of cake and smushes it in the younger's face.
however, seonghwa doesn't know that said hyung and said kitten already discussed it before hand, so his heart goes back to beating regularly when he hears hongjoong laughing as he's trying to eat what is smushed on his face.
"woo 'yungie so siy'y!"
seonghwa sighs in relief, looking over to said hyung "he sure is, huh joongie?". he totally wasn't sending daggers his way secretly.
this might have been the first time the younger has consumed this much sugar in one go as the next second, he's begging seonghwa to change out of hia nice clothes into pajamas so he can run around in the backyard. his tail is fluffed and he's jumping in one spot as he frantically begs (but of course politely).
"hold on, buggie, let's take a breath first. and then we'll change out of your clothes." seonghwa doesn't focus too much on it, he figures it's a good way for him to burn all his energy.
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one by one, everyone begins to leave but not without receiving a hug from the birthday boy himself and a shy "thank you".
now his friends and hyungs stay to help clean up after the successful birthday party. and for once, seonghwa doesn't mind the big mess because at the end of the day, joong's happiness is his main priority.
as the day turns into the evening, hongjoong's sugar rush begins to dwindle down, wobbly making his way into the house as he's rubbing both of his eyes and let's out a big yawn. quietly, he follows seonghwa around the house as he cleans up.
having each other in their presence is calming for the both of them. sometimes joong would wordlessly help clean up, but for the most part just follows the elder around with his thumb in his mouth.
"m-m...mama..." hongjoong whimpers, gently tugging on his shirt. when seonghwa turns around, he immediately drops the garbage bag he was holding and coos as he sees his baby looking like he's one second from crying.
"baby, what's the matter, hm?"
he didn't get to answer as a big yawn interrupted him, giving seonghwa the opportunity to pick him up and soothe him. he knows hongjoong is acting this way mainly due to his sugar rush crashing and now he's overtired- he didn't get to take his afternoon nap as well.
"is that our signal to get goin'?" mingi asks, almost with a puppy dog exaggeration to his eyes.
yunho sighs somewhat dramatically "unfortunately it is...the poor baby had a really busy day today, look at how tired he is."
the few that were in the room look at the direction of the kitten, watching his normally wide and glowing eyes blink slowly as he nuzzles against seonghwa's shoulder absent-mindedly.
"awee" jongho joins in "he didn't even get to open his presents yet!"
they all know that the kitten is overly tired when the mention of opening presents doesn't even make him budge, he's staring into space with his thumb in his mouth as his pacifier is somewhere in the bedroom.
one by one each of the hyungs gather their belongings, taking their time forbidding farewell to a sleepy kitten and wishing him the happiest birthday ever. his parents were next, once again like his hyungs taking their time saying goodnight to hongjoong.
once the front door was closed, the pair were met with silence after a buzzing day. seonghwa loves having his friends and family around, but nothing is better when it's just him and his baby.
"come, my baby bear, let's get you ready for bedtime, you had such an eventful day that now it's time to wind down and settle in the blankets." seonghwa kisses the top of his head as he heads up the stairs towards the bedroom.
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"mama...wa'e up, p'ease?"
seonghwa wasn't sleeping too heavily so the lightest tap or call of his name woke up him in an instant. he tried his best to rub his eyes and adjust in the dark room. the green numbers on his alarm clock stare obnoxiously back at him; 11:38 P.M.
"baby, you okay?" seonghwa asks, voice still adjusting to be used. "does something hurt?"
hongjoong shakes his head. he looks like he's been up for a while as well. 'wan' open p'esen, p'ease?'
suddenly seonghwa gasps and rolls the comforter off the both of them. "we were both so tired, we never even got to open your presents! oh baby, mama is so sorry!"
before hongjoong can reassure that it's okay, seonghwa is fretting over wrestling to get himself out of the covers. "I'll make some tea! would you like anything, my love?"
the younger rubs at his eye "mil', p'ease? warm mil'?"
"of course, love! to the living room!"
hongjoong smiles as he carries hwahwa in his arm as he follows behind seonghwa down the steps. it's dark in the kitchen until seonghwa flicks the lightswitch on. it felt weird to be awake at this time, almost like he shouldn't but being near his mama calms him down a little.
he can't help but stare longingly at the big pile of wrapped presents and little gift bags near the couch. "alright, baby! which one would you like to open first!?"
hongjoong reaches for a small gift bag first, watching as seonghwa nods and encourages him to open it. as he's reaching in between the tissue paper, he gasps. "mama! mama, y'ook!"
"what did you get, buggie?"
hongjoong proudly holds up a feathery cat toy, that to seonghwa's joy sqeaks very loudly. but when he hears hongjoong purring as he's nuzzling against it, he can't even think of being annoyed by it. "oh, how...loud that toy is! I can't wait for you to play with it!"
the next few minutes consist of hongjoong opening up all his presents (ranging from new cat toys, to other new toys and even some new books and coloring books. he even recieved a brand new bubble machine from his sangie and jongie hyung).
now that the living room is a mess of wrapping paper, seonghwa decides to give him one last gift that he was saving for last. "here, my sweet birthday baby, this gift is from mama."
hongjoong gasps as the gift is placed on his lap, leaning up to place a peck on his cheek. the younger takes a small sip of milk as he begins to tear apart the wrapping paper. "mama...it...it...my na'e!"
"that's right buggie, this is your name!" seonghwa helps him remove the wrapping paper from his lap as he points to the letters of his name. "mama bought you this puzzle so we can spell your name together!"
hongjoong gently places the puzzle to the side as he practically ran into seonghwa's arms, loudly purring when he collided with him. "than' you, mama. I y'ove you!"
seonghwa holds him close in his arms, hugging him a little tightly but the younger doesn't mind. he stays clung onto his mama as a big yawn escapes his lips.
he only got to take a few sips of his milk and suddenly seonfhwa was met with a sleepy kitten. "come, my baby, let's go back to bed and then tomorrow we'll play with your new toys, does that sound good?"
the kitten tried to answer but all that came out was a mumble of words and loud purring. seonghwa held his baby on his hip as he placed their cups on the kitchen counter and shut the kitchen light off.
"did you enjoy your birthday, my love?"
hongjoong still struggled to answer as everytime he opened his mouth to talk, a yawn came out instead. so he just nuzzles against his mama and kisses at a spot on his neck. "y'ove you, my mama."
"and I love you, my sweet forever baby...happy birthday."
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